Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Matins: Psalter Week III - Wednesday Morning

Psalm 85 (86)  
A poor man's prayer in time of trouble 
Make your servant’s heart glad, for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.  
Turn your ear to me, Lord, and hear me,

  for I am poor and destitute.

Keep my life safe, for I am faithful;

  O God, save your servant, who trusts in you.

Take pity upon me, O Lord,

  for I call to you all the day long.

Make your servant’s heart glad,

  for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.

For you, Lord, are gentle and mild:

  you are kind to all those who call on you.

Let your ears hear my prayer, O Lord!

  Turn to the voice of my pleading!

In my time of trouble I call on you,

  for you, O Lord, will hear me.

No other god is like you, O Lord,

  and nothing compares with your works.

All people – all nations you made –

  will come and worship before you;

  they will give glory to your name.

For you are great, you work wonders:

  you alone are God.

O Lord, teach me your paths,

  and I will come to your truth.

Make my heart simple and guileless,

  so that it honours your name.

I will proclaim you, Lord my God,

  and give you praise with all my heart.

I will give glory to your name for ever,

  for your great kindness is upon me:

  you have rescued me from the deepest depths.

O God, the proud rise against me,

  in the meetings of the powerful they seek my life:

  they do not keep you in their sight.

And you, Lord, are a God of compassion,

  full of mercies, patient and true.

Look upon me, have mercy upon me,

  give your strength and protection to your servant:

  your servant, the child of your handmaid.

Give me a sign of your goodness,

  let my enemies see it and be confounded;

because you, O Lord, have helped me and given me comfort.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.  
Make your servant’s heart glad, for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.  

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

WHEN THE WORLD WANES...

We dont often think about how the world changes around us. Sometimes, we think of these changes over eras, like the 1980s, or 1990s, in relation to music, fashion, presidents and such. Some changes have been so acute and rapid as well as ubiquitous that it hardly seemed possible to imagine the world or life without it: I am thinking of the Internet, personal computer and smart-mobile phone. Apart from these three key appliances, some of the other great advances we have taken for granted a couple of generations earlier was piped potable water into our homes, 24-hour electrical supply and thereafter, television and telephones. But by now, some of us have become grandparents and parents, uncles and others more prematurely, passed on.

With the world economy apparently bottoming out from a near collapse, we may think in terms of an imminent recovery of sorts. Political and economic scientists have held their sway and split over exactly what inflationary or monetary medicine is needed. In real terms, personal wealth have all but diminished. Personally, what we have experienced in the past nine months is that Achilles Heel of the global economy which is wound up and running on a great deal of lending and intent to pay. When the crunch came, it became clear that only the fastest could move to save more of their wealth, and in this play, the smaller you are, the worst off you would be. Ultimately, in the financial markets, it is disposed that the richer are going to be better off, until they themselves are scammed big time by even bigger crooks like Madoff. But that is more or less isolated to investors who played into his hands. Yet, the eventual market collapse is more telling about the same sort of relentless lending that is brokered to create an series of tiered markets from what used to be basic business activities. The auditors said these were not against any regulations and that gave way for the financial Tower of Babel. Stock markets and those who operate in, for the most part, was designed for sharing of wealth and opportunity for those with extra money to generate more value in the economy. With all the forces that have operated to create the market highs and now, the nadir as well, you realise that the old word ideal of ethics is all past and gone. There is a new world order in deed, and the people who operate its many cogwheels are not bound by the ideas of ethical boundaries. It is all the case of who gets hit first, who gets away fastest, and whom is most lucky to get all... The Old World is gone. When I get back to slogging at the sweatshop, there will have to be a new sense of awareness and approach. You know what: you cannot trust anyone like you may have used to, especially those who are less experienced. Less experienced folks at work overcompensate for their lack of ability or knowledge by playing the victim and using their own weaknesses as the basis for manipulating sympathy. Nothing more than blackmail. The world wanes...

Monday, June 15, 2009

Terce (Mid-Morning Prayer) - Monday, 15 June 2009

Introduction O God, come to my aid. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.
Psalm 119 (120) Longing for peace
I cried out to the Lord and he answered me.
I was in trouble, and cried to the Lord; and he answered me. Lord, free me from the lips of liars, from deceitful tongues. What will be given you, what will you receive, deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows from the warrior, hardened in the flames. Alas, I am an exile in Meshech; I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has lived too long with those who hate peace. I am for making peace; but whenever I spoke, they attacked me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. I cried out to the Lord and he answered me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
An amazing meditation and prophetic as well: when I think of my previous staff members who were all junior in experience, and their behaviour towards my direction of their work, this seems very true. Unfortunately, instead of focussing on learning and applying what was taught them, they constructed a scenario among themselves of how hard it was to work under my supervision, and wherever possible, justified this perspective under their own imagining, never once thinking about their own professional inadequacy. Then they began to spread these to influence others outside the department, and eventually towards my own supervisors. Despite my advice to them to be careful in their conduct, to uphold truth and abide by established ethics, these junior executives decided that the way they shape their own perspectives collectively was more important, and this bred a sort of lie they began to subscribe to and believe in. Now, I feel very vindicated when I hear about how each of them fare; there is Divine Justice at work when you lift yourself up to the Lord of Truth, so that those who lie and conspire to benefit from these lies they propagate will someday come to know the light of truth - that what they have done was unnecessary harm and perhaps grow better out of these mistakes committed. One can only pray for them, and forgive them. It is good to move on with the confidence that the Lord protects those who trust in Him and obey in His ways.

American Idol Season 8 winner Kris Allen set for Fall 09 release of debut album with Jive Records

The news released on 8 June 2009 confirmed American Idol winner Kris Allen has signed with 19 Entertainment for a debut album to be released this Fall with record label Jive Records. This is the same label which saw David Archuleta and Jordin Sparks sign with, indicating the AI winner will be targetting a similar youth market segment of screaming young girls across Asia and the US. Certainly Allen's image appeal is closer to the younger female set than say, Daughtry or Cook, or for that matter Adam Lambert. There seems to be some hue and cry lingering over "adult male" fans of AI that cling on to Lambert being the real winner. Perhaps that minority segment hasn't realised one of two things: that the pop market in the US and globally is dominated by young female consumers and married mothers, and that listenability is a key quality - which is why Queen or KISS is still niche compared to the appeal of Kelly Clarkson or Celine Dion. Why Joel McHale thinks Lambert is a winner is no surprise either; but I can empathise with his musing that Adam is lucky NOT to have to record "No Boundaries" is met with concensus. For that song, I think Kris Allen needs to get it re-arranged as a gospel rock anthem and leave it as that. Moving on, no matter what the young Idol fans may rant online about how "cute" he is, it remains to be seen if his album will appeal to the adult pop market - which will be more important to this career as an artiste in the long run - because the "little girls" will buy the album and vote for it on MTV for just the few "sugary pop tunes"; as a real artiste, he needs to get his first album to show maturity and sophistication without having to impress with silly high note leaps which the singing competition had a skew towards simply for entertainment shock value. That Adam kept doing those falsetto chord leaping high notes may be impressive vocally; but many professional singers have trained to do just that especially for theatrical performance. It's just not something you want to hear over and over again on the radio, Joel McHale ("The Soup"); but if that's the sort of chronic tinnitus is what he and the Lambert clan fans want, they are welcome to permanently damage their sense of hearing and musicality.

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Weird and Wonderful? Mental health of the aged a concern

When my mother was alive, she might come back from some community grassroots or church ministry meeting and relate an incident in her usual candour, and even haphazard manner. Then referring pointedly to a character in the dramatis personae, she may add "Aiyah (a local slang expression akin to "oh well anyway") that person is just psycho!" I would tease her and say, "Mum, may be that person is saying the same thing about you!" It is easy to develop a perception that all the retired men, elderly housewives and enthusiastic fired-up Christians mingled together might produce a melting-pot of personalities. And within that psycho-drama is a wide spectrum of idiosyncrasies, phobias, neuroses, psychoses etc. with the healthy minded as well as those who may be borderline mentally ill. No wonder it takes God's goodness and Spirit to allow anything to work and get done! When you look at Greenpeace and other non-Church affiliated interest groups, the same sort of psychological spectrum seems to emerge. May be among volunteers there is more openness to embrace people seeking to "belong" and to develop a greater sense of "affirmation and identity". In that sense I can understand St Paul's proposition that as "much (as) sin increased, grace was always greater" (Romans 5:20). Maybe I should substitute the word "sin" for the more generic "weakness" or "flaw" or "fault", to be politically correct. Just this morning, as I was seated at McDonald's at Block 109, Lorong One, Toa Payoh, to access the Internet via the public wi-fi network and enjoy my Boncafe coffee, one of the elderly neighbours appeared. His name is Patrick Ng. A retired gentleman who was formerly with OCBC Bank, he was retired earlier in his career and this may have resulted in some deep and unresolved bitterness. But he affirmed himself in his faith and is very visible in many church liturgies and apostolates, particularly those that appealled to his intellect as he is very educated. He plays being modest for the most part but he is easily irritable and has no tolerance for other people's foibles or ego. Sure, while he aware of his own ego, he makes no excuse for the absurd behaviours of others. He is aware of his own arrogance and may admit to it, but will stubbornly not make any accommodation to soften his own manner towards others. That would be condescending to his mind, a compromise, and to justify his stance, he would quote from all sorts of sources from St Bernard to the Gospels. At first I was always respectful and dignified towards him, and would accomodate him. Now, after five years, I have tried never to bear down on his hypocrisy, simply because he was elderly and the sort of conceit that comes with age encumbered with a great deal of repressed history begs one to be kind and unjudging. This morning, as I bought Patrick a cup of hot Lipton tea at McDonald's, his behaviour seemed to be unusal. He always spoke very loudly; in fact, in church, he would bellow more than sing, and everyone in the congregation might know he is present and whereabouts he is. He would sit in the pew reading something else while the Mass is underway, and at the places where the "people respond", he would bellow the verse or prayer out loudly without the slightest interest. Of course, he may debate this behaviour and retort: "I don't care what other people say, but I know what I am doing." This echoes very familiarly the same attitude and idea my father has of his own foibles and manners. It is a very blinkered view which seems to have been fostered by a particular colonnial influence when Singapore was governed by the British. I think the word is "elitism" maybe. What the real reason, Patrick would always speak loudly, or "projecting" his voice as he would put it. When he is irritated or upset, he would take a more belligerent tone and assault his victim with his grandoise vocabulary and command of the English language. Every now and then he would entice me into one of his matches which I would edge back from, conceding to the use of a concise word or a well-known phrase to avoid aggravating him. What was unusal today was Patrick's more odd behaviour, an increased irritability, slight forgetfulness, but I could appreciate that his mind was actively at work, trying to maintain relevance and coherence, at the same time cognizant of his need to be dignified. The effort he takes to maintain that dignity is almost like a struggle against the rising tide. As I reflect on his behaviour, it becomes more apparent that he may be aware that his faculty of mind may be diminishing, but at the same time, his personality may be more uncontrolled. He was more verbally aggressive because of his increased irritability, and I wonder if he might lose it someday altogether and end up talking to himself and become delusional. This is different from the type of neurosis I see in my own father, which stems from a history of stoic repression and a particular brand of upbringing and circumstance. Such men in the days of Mountbatten may be admired, but today, they are mired down and ignored. Society at large seems to have evolved standards as to what makes for healthy minds among the greying population. When I visited my European friends and sat down with their elderly parents in their living room on a Sunday afternoon, the sort of conversation that takes place quickly informs you that the family is connected at a deeper level, and that their father's mind is still active. Lately, I have heard that Alzeihmer's have struck the old man, and his sense of perception and ability to acknowledge his surroundings has deteriorated, although his general quality of life remains quite good. Patrick's quality of life is no doubt excellent, given his health and mobility, alertness and irascibility. But somewhere between all that is fine, something new loomed large today: it was nothing demonic although there was a hint of wickedness and stubborness if there's any devil there. It seemed like he was tweetering over and soon may be quite likeKing Lear in his madness. I fret to think that there are more and more elderly people who are less and less connected with the world around them, like Patrick. And, like my own father, the fault may be in their own upbringing and belief-system which is entrenched over a life of circumstance and personal bigotry repressed and white-washed. The mental health of the elderly is real concern: those who are not self-aware become more stubborn and hardened in their ways. There is nothing to fight about, or try and change. The saddest thing is that dealing with them based on your personal life history results in a whole palette of issues to be put up with. It is easier not to disturb anyone's peace and remove these issues altogether. I find it wisest and best to avoid any engagement. I think death can be physical or psycho-emotional. In some ways, we all are either best as children or orphans. Now, as I become more aware of my maturation, I can see that there can be peace after a beloved parent dies, and when that happens, it is a defining event in one's life. Not that my mother's recent passing defines me that way: rather, that after her loss, I better understand life as being more completed.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

BEWARE Jehovah Witness' cultic nonsense...

In your three-tape set, "I Escaped from the Watchtower," the former Jehovah's Witness being interviewed recommended a book entitled The Finished Mystery. What is the book about, who wrote it, and why is it important? Leonard Chretien, an ex-witness who spent 22 years as as official in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (the Jehovah's Witnesses), recommended The Finished Mystery because it is an example of the bizarre metamorphosis of Watchtower theology over the last hundred years and is useful in showing Witnesses the problems and contradictions in their religion. The Finished Mystery was the seventh and final volume in Studies in the Scriptures, a series of books written by the sect's founder, Charles Taze Russell. It is a hodgepodge of false prophecies, rambling discourses on the interpretation of Scripture, and the obligatory rantings against the Catholic Church. The Finished Mystery was printed posthumously in 1917 and was touted as an unanswerable critique of "Christendom." As the years passed, and as elements of its theology changed, the Watchtower trumpeted a series of bogus prophecies concerning the date of Christ's return. To its embarrassment, the Watchtower was unable to reconcile either its new theology or its more recent spate of failed prophecies with Russell's book. In an understandable act of damage control, the Jehovah's Witness leadership withdrew from circulation all volumes of Studies in the Scriptures. Most Witnesses are unaware of the existence of Russell's books, and for obvious reasons the Watchtower is careful not to allow the rank and file access to them. But you can get a photographically reproduced copy of the book from Witness Inc., an Evangelical apologetics group that focuses on refuting the errors of the Watchtower (P.O. Box 597, Clayton, CA 94517, [415] 584-3838). As with all Evangelical apologetics organizations, however competent they may be in their particular field, there is always the problem of faulty Protestant theology being offered as the "solution" to the errors of the "cults." You need to read around this Protestant bias. The organization's research is still helpful because of their expertise in documenting the errors and contradictions in Watchtower publications such as Awake! and the Watchtower, as well as in many out-of-print works. ------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpted from the May 1993 issue of This Rock magazine. Copyright © 1993 Catholic Answers.

Five Don'ts for Dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses

By Joel S. Peters It's Saturday afternoon, and you're going about your household chores. You notice as you pass the front door that two people are coming down the street. Since you're not expecting anyone, you peer out from behind the curtains. The two individuals turn down your walkway. They're nicely dressed and wielding attachés that you will discover later are loaded with publications from the Watchtower Society, the parent organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses.Even though your mind is occupied with mundane thoughts of dirty laundry, overdue bills, and vacuuming, you will soon be thrust into a dialogue on a far higher plane-a dialogue about world violence, the devil's control of all government systems, or a future earthly paradise. If you are like most people, you feel ill-equipped to solve humanity's woes on your doorstep. So you consider pretending you're not home. Too late-they've seen you. So you take a deep breath and reluctantly open the front door.This scenario is played out untold times in the homes of average Americans across the country. And while most people consider a visit by a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses to be a nuisance at best-and a rude intrusion at worst-the experience need not prove distasteful.Having dialogued with a number of Witnesses—at my door, via e-mail, in Internet discussion groups, and even in their own Kingdom Halls (their equivalent of a church)—I have learned some dos and don'ts of talking with them. Based on my experience, I would like to propose a list of five "no-no's" for a typical encounter with Jehovah's Witnesses.You don't have to be a skilled apologist to practice these guidelines. They are intended for the average Catholic who has no formal theological training. 1. Don't slam the door in their faces. This simple point could mean the difference between the loss of the souls of your Witnesses or their salvation. Please stop for a moment and take this thought to heart. I say this because the difference between slamming the door or choosing to be cordial and speaking to them could mean the difference between affording the Witnesses a moment for God's grace to operate through you-or losing that moment forever. I find that a typical response to Jehovah's Witnesses who are canvassing a neighborhood is to be brusque with them and then slam the door in their faces. I have even had some of my high school students recount with pride such actions taken by their parents when Witnesses come knocking at their doors. Not only is this approach uncharitable, the Witnesses expect it.You see, the Watchtower Society drills into the heads of all its followers that at some point in their door-to-door witnessing they will suffer persecution for proclaiming "Jehovah's message." The Watchtower points to Jesus' own words as proof of their claim: "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:11-12). The fact that the Watchtower belief system bears almost no resemblance to Jesus' actual teachings does not come into play here. The point is, Witnesses are told by their organization to expect harassment and harsh treatment. When they get it, it only reinforces their loyalty to and belief in the Watchtower for having predicted such behavior. Instead kill them with kindness. Be as charitable and hospitable as you can, because long after they may forget what you said to them, they will still remember how you treated them. 2. Don't argue or debate specific doctrines with the Witnesses. The fact of the matter is that slinging Bible verses back and forth with a Jehovah's Witness to prove a doctrine is unproductive. He has been conditioned to accept only the Watchtower's interpretation of Scripture. From the Witness's perspective, you are not debating the meaning of the biblical text so much as the religious authority behind any given interpretation. Since he is conditioned to accept the Watchtower as God's "sole channel of communication" on earth, your ability to wield biblical Greek will likely count for naught. The Witness will merely resort to the party line for any passage being discussed.He is more than perpared to confront you on major doctinres, with special emphasis placed on Jesus' divinity and the Trinity. These two doctrines are also where Witnesses have spent the most time and effort preparing to verbally thrash you into doctrinal submission with a string of Bible passages they quote out of context and completely misinterpret. Believe me, the average Jehovah's Witness has spewed forth these passages so often that he could quote them effortlessly while dangling in midair. Unless you are quite familiar with these passages (John 1:1, John 8:58, John 10:30, Acts 20:28, and Romans 9:5, to name a few) and have a proper understanding of them, the Witnesses' interpretation of them will sound convincing. Jehovah's Witnesses salivate at the prospect of debating these two doctrines, so do not meet them on their own turf-this gives them the home court advantage. What should you do if they bring up one of these topics? Read on. 3. Don't let the Witness get through his rehearsed presentation. Remember that the well-scrubbed disciples at your door have had extensive training and experience conducting encounters like this. You need therefore to derail them, so to speak-pursue a topic where their stock answers, memorized Bible passages, and pre-packaged presentations will not work to their advantage. I am not suggesting being rude to your guests or cutting them off or monopolizing the conversation. I am saying that you should tactfully redirect the discussion to another subject. For example, you might ask them how they came to be associated with the Watchtower or if they were members of another denomination before becoming Witnesses and, if so, why they changed over. Ask them to tell you in a concrete way how being a Jehovah's Witness has improved their lives. Get them to tell their stories so that for once they are relating on a person-to-person level rather than regurgitating Watchtower beliefs. Regardless of how much indoctrination the Watchtower has done, it cannot remove the Witnesses' humanity, so make a connection on that level.Once they have shared something about themselves, you do likewise. Tell your own story about how you have encountered Christ through his Church. Tell them about your own faith journey. Talk about how Christ is real to you. Your words don't have to be fancy or highly theological-sincerity goes a long way. If nothing else, such a witness on your part will demonstrate to the Jehovah's Witnesses that even though you practice (from their point of view) a belief system tainted with paganism, you are still in touch with Christ in a real, tangible way. That will give them food for thought. 4. Don't allow the Witnesses to bring up multiple issues and get you sidetracked. One of the cardinal rules of dialoguing with Jehovah's Witnesses is to deal with one theological topic at a time. It is said that there are only two unavoidable things in life-death and taxes. Actually, there is a third: If the Witness at your door is losing any ground in the conversation, you can bet your bottom dollar that a subtle shift in topic will occur. I would even venture to say that the Witnesses themselves might not consciously be aware of it. It's just that their training is so effective that it becomes second nature for them to make this switch when the prospective convert is gaining the upper hand. It is imperative at this point for your brain to send up a red flare and alert you to the switch. (Think of the robot from the old TV series Lost in Space that would always flail its arms and shout "Danger! Warning!" when something bad was about to occur.) In my encounters with Witnesses, this switching of subject matter has occurred in virtually every instance. Watch for it. It is an indication that you are being effective at presenting some kind of difficulty, so stay on target. When it happens, let the Witness finish his or her train of thought, then politely point out that, while you are intrigued at the prospect of discussing another issue, you will agree to do so at another time. This approach has the added benefit of ensuring a return visit from the Witnesses, enabling you to further dialogue with them (if you are so bold) and continue to gain ground. It will also buy you time to do some research on the particular topic which has been raised (or the one you had been discussing). 5. Don't go by the Witnesses' version of the Bible, the New World Translation. By producing its own Bible translation, the Watchtower Society is able to keep its doctrinal thumbscrews tightened on its members. The text has been altered-one might even say mutilated-so that it supports many key Watchtower doctrines. What the average Jehovah's Witness probably doesn't know is that the New World Translation was produced by a committee of five high-up Witnesses, four of whom had no training in biblical languages. The fifth studied Greek for only two years in college. Any reasonable person would conclude that such "translators" are woefully lacking the education and skills needed for such an important task as translating Scripture.Witnesses will swear up and down that the New World Translation is free from a doctrinal bias (and in good faith they really believe this), but you need to know that this could not be farther from the truth. Without ever having to be versed in biblical Greek, you can still at least raise some doubts in the minds of Witnesses about their Bible version. For example, when the Jehovah's Witness reads a passage from the New World Translation, you could say something like, "That sounds different from my Bible. May I ask what version you are using?" When the he identifies it as the New World Translation, you could then pursue a series of questions about the reliability and scholarship of this work.Armed with the knowledge about the translating committee, ask questions like: "How do you know that this particular rendering is correct?" "How important is it for a Bible translator to know the biblical languages?" "Would you trust a translator who had little or no training in Hebrew or Greek?" (For this question you could use the analogy of whether or not to trust a surgeon who was about to operate on you but who had little or no experience doing the particular procedure he was about to perform. How much more important, then, it is for people entrusted with our spiritual well being to be highly trained and experienced in their field?) Your goal here is to raise doubts in minds of the Jehovah's Witnesses about the reliability of the New World Translation. However, don't attack their translation. A few carefully and strategically placed questions will produce far more fruit than a full frontal attack on something the Witnesses cherish. I would like to offer one final insight for these five no-no's. Keep in mind that they are not a foolproof method wielding magical powers to sway your Jehovah's Witnesses on the very first encounter. You will not likely undo in 15 minutes on your doorstep what the Watchtower Society has been doing for years in the minds of your guests.But these guidelines can serve as a starting point. They can arm you with something useful and practical when that unexpected doorbell ring comes. Keep in mind also that converting the hearts of Jehovah's Witnesses is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit-and that you and I are greatly blessed to be used as his instruments in that process. --------------------------------------------- Joel S. Peters is a high school teacher. He writes from Mahwah, New Jersey.

One Saturday afternoon two Jehovah Witnesses came aknocking

It is Saturday 30 May and I was just done with the laundry and after concluding my Morning Prayer. Earlier, I responded to an SMS from a church ministry friend to prepare the scripture text for the Liturgy of the Word for Trinity Sunday, which Catholics will celebrate on Sunday, 7 June. It was a refresher on the doctrine of the Trinity as revealed through Jesus before his ascension into heaven, and the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and through the missionary teaching of the Apostles. Then I find two Jehovah Witnesses at my door. I welcome them in, if they wish to refresh themselves, or share their own joy. I knew in my heart that I would only listen out of respect if they respected my own faith in Jesus as the Divine Son, fully God and Man, and have nothing to do with the Arian heresy or the mutilated version of their bible (New World Translation). As they spoke, in particular from their prepared presentation and quotation, it came across as a hard pitch at their own theology and despite my indication that she should not proselytize under my roof and welcome out of respect of my beliefs, she continued. I finally told her: "The spirit of God is peace, and what you say is very disturbing to the peace I know in my God. I ask you to stop. You can speak if you choose to speak peaceably, but your doctrines I do not need to hear. We can praise God in psalms and scripture without you telling me what you have chosen to believe in, as I have my belief in Jesus as Lord and God as sacred Truth. That is an obstacle to you, not to me. If I respect you for your beliefs, you are welcome here as long as you respect mine; do not say to me about what you have chosen to believe as that is your choice. Otherwise, you will have to hear me about my belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the scripture I present to you." What I have learnt is that: 1. if you can, welcome them as guests to refresh themselves, but decline to hear them preach their beliefs to you; 2. when they try, tell that you are not interested, even if what they begin with seems very agreeable - their scripted approach begins with the Old Testament about God's name being Jehovah or YHWH, and progresses to a strict course they have prepared. This is pointless because their translation of the bible is wholly inaccurate to all Christian editors (see my next blog entry extracts, and links); 3. avoid letting them quote scripture off their bible and their text or getting into a line-by-line debate even if you feel like you need to clarify with them their inaccuracies; these followers have chosen to wholly submit themselves to the beliefs of their founder and they are not interested in appreciating your effort to share with them historical fact and basic Christian Truth; 4. appreciate the fact that they twist and distort a great deal of accepted Christian tenets - they call themselves Christian because they say that they follow the teachings of Jesus as Christ; but in fact, they are not as they define Jesus as some being exalted between angels and the highest of men, but do not recognise his Divine nature - hence the connection to Arian heresy; The best thing to do when meeting Jehovah Witnesses is not confront them with any of their beliefs. It takes a certain type of person to accept a set of beliefs that is so distorted and to want to be a minority sect or cult. Cults appeal to the psychology of some individuals and these same people usually have a persecuted mentality which responds with an aggressive sense of survival and self-righteousness. This means: they just can see the reason and sensibility which others may espouse. It is simply "them" against a "world against them", and this means they do not share the same open heartedness to listen to fair-minded words or plain truth. So, the best thing when you meet these Jehovah Witnesses at your door, don't be fooled and let your true Christian hospitality be taken in. Note fairly and well, what St Peter cautions: " Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)